With just a few clicks of a mouse or taps on an iPad, people in Lower Allen Township can now find out where and what crimes are taking place in their neighborhoods.
The Lower Allen Township Police Department has launched an online crime mapping system.
“With our Records Management System, we were able to partner with another third party vendor and they actually are able to pull our Uniform Crime Report, UCR Data, right out of our database once a day and populate a map of the township,” said Police Chief Frank Williamson.
“A dollar sign will be a theft or a larceny; a vehicle that looks like it has a crack in it would be a theft from a vehicle; a spray-can would be vandalism,” Chief Williamson said.
Residents can access the map by visiting Crimemapping.com or though a free app on your smart phone or tablet.
“They can sign up for email alerts for crimes that occur within a specific radius of an address,” Williamson added. “So it could be their home, it could be the school their child goes to, it could be their place of employment.”
Emily Tuckey works at Tuckey’s Bakery Outlet in Lower Allen Township. She says the online crime mapping system could help protect her family’s business.
“I always assume that it’s dangerous but it would help either ease my anxieties or make me more aware of what’s going on,” Tuckey said. “It’s helpful to know if there’s been five break-ins down the street, you know, it might be coming your way,” she said.
“The awareness of the citizens help us tremendously because that gives us more eyes and ears in our neighborhoods to give us a call, because we can’t be everywhere, all the time,” Chief Williamson added.